This invention relates generally to water treatment, and more particularly to a highly effective and improved water treatment cell producing a locally strong magnetic field.
The treatment of water to change water structure, by employing strong fields, is known. Such water structure modification is desirable for certain chemical processes one example being de-scaling.
Explanations relating to the performance of a magnetic water treatment can be complex and confusing. For example, simply placing a magnetic treatment cell in a glass aquarium will result in the precipitation of solids after a period of a few tens of hours. This simple experiment shows that the process is not galvanic since there is only one electrode in an insulated container. Additionally, it may be concluded that the process is usually quite slow, if the fields are weak and there is little or no flow velocity. Observation leads to the conclusion that the process begins in the region near the surface of the cell. Once started, the process continues in the bulk of the system.
Using currently accepted descriptions of the water molecule in the liquid state, several process mechanisms can be postulated. The water molecule is quite flexible and its electron configuration makes it a voracious seeker of other electrons with which it can share the many electron states of its neighbors in a liquid media. If it is assumed that an electron becomes trapped in the proximity of a weak magetic field, it can be presumed that the kinetic energy of the molecule is reduced. Consequently there is a reduction in solubility in the region near the cell. The reduction in solubility would free the elements from the water molecule. When in solution, the ions which join with other released elements crystallize or agglomerate. This process would account for the finely divided residue observed in most cell experiments. An additional effect can be postulated which may coexist with the concept of the magnetic field effecting the covalent electrons in water. The normal autoionization results in a pH of seven. The equilibrium pH in most treated systems ranges from 8.5 to 11. This implies a reduction in hydronomium (OH=) ions. A postulated cause and effect relates to another interaction between electrons in the water macro molecule i.e., approximately 6H.sub.2 O per effective molecule. If this interaction would cause a local reduction in the kinetic energy, more contaminant ions would be made available to react or possibly break away from the macro molecule taking with it the ion in solution. Once removed from the region of the cell, some water molecules rejoin, releasing their ions to agglomerate or crystallize. The net effect would be the observed increase in the system pH.
One type of water structure change is produced by the known Zeeman splitting effect, in weak magnetic fields.
In the past, brass tubes have been silver plated and filed with magnetite. Problems with this type of water treatment cell include the fact that the cell is too thick to provide a sufficiently high gradient field; the silver coating contains no diluent, and the magnetic field quickly degrades or disappears in use.
There is need for improved and simple methods and devices such as cells capable of inexpensively modifying and treating water.